Partners to the End
by Akari Kamigishi
Summary: Ryouga wanders into Ucchan's and stays the night. They discuss some of the old times, and their plans to break up Ranma and Akane.


Ranma 1/2: Partners to the End  
  
Konnichiwa, minna-san! This is my first original fic! Take that, Kentaro! This one's about my favourite Ranma 1/2 couple, Ryouga and Ukyo. After seeing them together in the Ranma 1/2 OAVs, I had to write this! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
  
Oh, and I do not own the Ranma 1/2 characters or any other Ranma 1/2 references. These are used without permission of Rumiko Takahashi. This is a fan writing and is not meant to infringe on her right to her story and characters.  
  
  
Ryouga walked down the streets of Nerima looking for the Tendo Dojo. He was once again lost, and it seemed that this time love wasn't giving him any help with finding his destination. The clouds above him were a dark grey, and he knew that it would start raining at any moment. The sun was also setting and Ryouga was feeling exhausted from his journeys. Even if he couldn't take shelter at the Tendo Dojo, he had to take shelter somewhere. It just so happened that Ryouga was passing by Ucchan's Okonomiyaki restaurant when he considered taking shelter from the coming rainstorm. He walked up to the door of the restaurant and looked at the sign that was pinned to it.  
  
"CLOSED FOR THE NIGHT. --Ucchan"  
  
Ryouga knocked on the door desperately, looking for any windows on the building or any other way to see if Ukyo was coming to answer the door. He looked through the windows beside the door and saw that Ukyo was in fact going to answer the door. Ukyo walked to the door wearing her usual blue gi, and her many sizes of spatulas. Her large spatula was strapped to her back where it has always been. She opened the door reluctantly and glared at Ryouga.  
  
"Look Ryouga, can't you read the sign?" she said, pointing to the sign that Ryouga had just read earlier. Ryouga took a step back and regained his composure.  
  
"Yes Uyko. I'm sorry. I was lost as usual and I needed a place to take shelter," Ryouga said. Ukyo calmed down and beckoned Ryouga to come in to the restaurant. Ryouga stepped in and Ukyo closed the door behind him.  
  
"Luckily for you, there's an extra room here for Ran-chan," Ukyo said, leading Ryouga upstairs to where the bedrooms were. Ucchan's was not only Ukyo's restaurant, it was her home, and she took great pride in having such a great place to live. However, the extra bedroom she had built into the restaurant was indeed for Ranma, and since he was never lost and in need of shelter, Ranma never used the room. The room was collecting dust, and Ukyo was thankful that at least somebody would be staying in it tonight.  
  
"Thanks a lot Ukyo. It was about to rain in there, and I didn't want to wander the streets as a piglet," Ryouga said. Ukyo smiled and stifled a giggle. Ukyo had now completely made her decision. Ryouga could most definitely stay. She reasoned that Ryouga's company was as good as anyone's. If nothing else, Ryouga had great manners. She had seen that when they were at the Tendo family Christmas party, and many times before and after that. She decided to lead him to her room so they could chat and catch up on old times.  
  
Ryouga followed Uyko into her room reluctantly. He didn't want to intrude on her privacy, because he knew that the room that he was walking into wasn't the guest room. He could see the various pictures of famous okonomiyaki chefs and spatulas hanging around the room, along with the picture that they took after their vacation, the time when she got taken as an arrogant prince's concubine and was rescued by none other than Ryouga. The bed was just like the one in Ranma's room at the Tendo Dojo, except that it was decorated with little spatulas and shrimp. Ukyo sat at the end of her bed and Ryouga sat down beside her, leaning against the wall.  
  
"Make yourself comfortable Ryouga," Ukyo said, handing him a cushion to lean back onto. Ryouga took it and placed it behind his back. He thanked Ukyo for being so generous and leaned against the pillow, wrapping his arms around his knees.  
  
"You couldn't have come to me at a better time Ryouga," Ukyo said. Ryouga looked out the window of Ukyo's room and saw the rain start falling. He certainly couldn't have come to Ucchan's at a better time. Perhaps love was guiding him onward, but he decided not to even so much as entertain the thought. Akane was his one true love, he knew that for certain. Ukyo saw that Ryouga was becoming a little bit uncomfortable.  
  
"What's up?" Ukyo asked. Ryouga snapped out of his thoughts and regained his bearings. To her, Ryouga looked more than a little startled.  
  
"N-nothing. Just thinking," Ryouga replied. Ukyo knew what was on his mind and she thought that it would be fun to talk about it. She and Ryouga had quite a lot in common.  
  
"It's about Akane isn't it? I already know you were looking for the Tendo Dojo. You couldn't find the place if you had a map," Ukyo teased. Ryouga glared at her and opened his mouth to reply, but then thought better of it. 'In this place, you are a guest and you should act as such,' he thought to himself. Ukyo smiled as she watched the conflict in Ryouga's mind unfold, communicated to her by his facial expressions.  
  
"You know, Ryouga, we've worked well together in the past," Ukyo said.  
  
"Of course. Our goals are the same," Ryouga added.  
  
"Yeah. You're trying to marry Akane and I want Ranma to be mine. We're both trying to rip them apart," Ukyo continued. Ryouga nodded and kept on listening.  
  
"You know, some nights, I get sick and tired of it all," Ukyo said, sighing lightly. "It's so unfair that Akane treats Ranma so badly and he still loves her. He barely pays attention to me."  
  
"I know what you mean Ukyo," Ryouga said in a comforting tone. "Ranma always treats Akane's heart like a toy to be played with and she still loves him."  
  
"Hey, do you remember the Cursed Tunnel of Lost Love?" Ukyo asked. Ryouga nodded. How could he forget being dragged into a REAL haunted cave in one of their wackiest attempts to break up Ranma and Akane.  
  
"We had the greatest plan but everyone just kept messing it up. We even messed it up at times. Then at the end of it, the ghosts thought we were a better couple than Ranma and Akane were. I wonder what gave them a stupid idea like that?" Uyko asked rhetorically. She remembered being tortured and maimed by the spirits of couples who had broken up in the cave. She came out of the cave looking like a total mess, and everyone thought that she was dating Ryouga.  
  
"We cooperated a little too well," Ryouga said in a matter-of-factly tone. That was true. Ranma and Akane fought over who would handle the spirits when the spirits attacked them, but Ryouga and Ukyo held the spirits off for a long time in one of the best team efforts ever. They watched each other's backs and helped each other out so that they could both see the bitter end of the relationship between Ranma and Akane.  
  
"I wonder when we'll come up with another goofy plan like that," Ukyo replied. Ryouga shifted his position a bit, because the cushion was sort of losing its shape.  
  
"Well, it seems that we're destined to keep on trying to rip them apart," Ryouga said. Ukyo nodded, knowing that what he was saying was certainly true.  
  
"And on that day, we'll both be the happiest people alive. But I always wonder if such happiness is worth the trouble, especially on lonely nights like these. Will being Ranma's wife make up for all the pain that I've gone through trying to get him to marry me?" Ukyo continued. Ryouga thought for a moment.  
  
"Well, maybe it will and maybe it won't. But if it feels right to you then keep going!" Ryouga started with enthusiasm. "I'll never give up until Akane and I are together, and if you really want to be with Ranma, you won't give up either! And because we have those goals in common, we will be partners to the end!"  
  
"That's true Ryouga, but sometimes I wonder if my heart is really in it anymore," Ukyo said. She decided that maybe that's enough for tonight. She was feeling a little tired anyways, and she could see that Ryouga was trying hard to keep himself awake.  
  
"Well, I think I'd better show you to your room," Ukyo said. She climbed to her feet and opened her bedroom door. She lead Ryouga down the hall to the guest room.  
  
"Well, that's the place. It's a wreck but I'm sure you'll be able to do wonders with it," Ukyo said, waving him goodbye as she ran into her room to get changed into her night clothes. As she was changing, she thought more about what she and Ryouga had just talked about. She wondered if Ryouga wasn't the right guy for her afterall. She'd been saving the guest room for Ranma, but Ryouga was the first person to use it. Ranma doesn't usually come to visit unless its for free food. Actually, because of Ranma, expenses for her restaurant have been fairly high and she's been lucky to make a profit. Perhaps it could be that she and Ryouga weren't meant to be just partners, but she decided not to so much as entertain the thought. She decided to sleep and let her dreams do the thinking for her.  
  
  
Well, that's the story! I tried my best to stay in character, so the story wasn't too too mushy. I think that it simply opens up a possibility to more stories and characterization. So expect to see more original fics from me! Oh, and if you'd like to see any fics that Kentaro used to post on FF.net back on the site, just ask me! Akari_Chan76@hotmail.com  
I wouldn't ask Kentaro. He doesn't really like FF.net at the moment... *sweatdrop*  
  
Akari Kamigishi  
Ja ne!  
  
  



End file.
